The German airliner Lufthansa has just published the English version of its sustainability report, Balance.  The 115 page report is your standard CSR report and has sections for the business, stakeholder information, the fleet, work life balance, training etc.  Eventually, on page 54 you get to the environment section.

What should be said is that the reports way of presenting data feels defensive.  It frequently highlights that its emissions are low in comparison to road travel and highlights other polluters.

In Greenbang’s experience this is not a good thing if a company is truly committed to minimising its footprint.

Here are the highlights:

CO2 emissions are up 121 per cent on 1990 levels

Goals and measures to reduce gaseous emissions

• Lufthansa expressly supports the IATA’s Fuel Efficiency Goal and strives to reduce the specific CO2 emissions of its Group fleet to 25 percent below 2006 levels by 2020.
• Lufthansa expressly supports the ACARE goal to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions to 80 percent below 2000 levels by 2020.

Technology and fleet modernization

• Lufthansa will continue to modernize its fleet on an ongoing basis and to implement, carry out and expand its fleet modernization program (current investment volume: 14 billion euros).

Alternative fuels

• Within the limits of its possibilities, Lufthansa will support fuel manufacturers in the development of alternative fuels. Lufthansa sets itself the goal – provided the current problems of availability and price can be solved – to blend a share of 5 to 10 per cent of synthetic fuel into conventional kerosene by 2020.

Operational measures

• Lufthansa will continue and expand the measures it has already launched to increase efficiency in operations and maintenance. Furthermore, it will evaluate additional measures on a continuous basis and promote ideas for the targeted, step-by-step modifi cation of technology on existing aircraft.

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